June 18, 2023, Sunday
Bloom: Hart Crane's poetry shows that writing poetry has become a foolish game; each poem he writes is like a swan song. You see, this statement is very true and hits the nail on the head. Every lyrical poem by Crane makes you feel that if he doesn't write it, he will truly die; as a poet, as a person, in order to survive, he must write poetry. Of course, I dare not compare myself to Crane, but I believe that my spirit of criticism is as dedicated as his spirit of poetry. Writing is to stay alive, to not become a madman. Writing is to continue criticizing, to live one or two more days. Perhaps this is a way to ward off evil, or perhaps it is to resist death. I dare not assert. But I believe that, in a sense, this is exactly what poets are doing. They write poetry to resist death.
Updike is a small writer with great ambition, with beautiful writing and a distinctive style. I have read many of his novels, and my favorite is "The Witches of Eastwick". But in my opinion, most of his books indulge in simple happiness. The happiness is indeed real, but it does not challenge the intellect. On the other hand, although Bloch may not be perfect, he slightly surpasses Updike in challenging the intellect. Thomas Pynchon's happiness, on the other hand, is very bitter, although he has also changed his style recently.
Writing is primarily a solitary art. Criticism can be taught, but like all arts, it ultimately relies on innate, hidden talent. Throughout history, the reason why poets become poets and novelists become novelists is one and only one - reading. They read the books of their predecessors, draw from their strengths, and use them for themselves.
Before Shakespeare, no one truly portrayed characters or humanity, whether it be expressing their thoughts loudly to themselves or to others, or talking to themselves. And in the process of thinking, characters will inevitably undergo some profound or crucial changes, leading to changes in their personalities, individuality, and even thoughts. Now, we take this for granted in artistic representation. But in fact, it did not exist before Shakespeare.
Bloom: I haven't heard of anyone benefiting from Freud or other models of analysis. Using a popular metaphor, it only makes people severely withered, dry, that is, consuming all passion. Perhaps the condition may improve, but almost without exception, people become dull, uninteresting, like hard cheese, withered flowers.
When others quote your views in books, or when others say things to you that you consider important, your self-proclaimed insights and contributions... these are often not noticed, as if they only exist for yourself. The things you casually say, the views you elaborate, because you have enlarged this area, because you have become tired of saying it, but at the same time feel that you must do so, because you need to express your main point, and that is what people pay attention to. That is where they underline. That is where they quote. That is where they attack or praise. That is where they can use. What you think you are doing, perhaps that is what you are doing, perhaps not. But it can be certain that others do not know what you are doing.
A person's thoughts belong only to themselves, in the eyes of others, nothing is useful, and even recognition is difficult. This is a very strange phenomenon. It must be related to our lack of self-awareness.
Burke: Writer's block or writing obstacles have recently become my second nature. This is related to the environment on Earth, where I live in the country with the highest concentration of nuclear weapons, and now there are even more new types of nuclear weapons. This makes you restless, takes away the joy of life, makes you stop and think, whether writing has any meaning. There was a time when music, especially classical music, helped me get through difficult times - for example, Beethoven's "Breath" where I felt the breath of Western Europe and the Rhine. I have always had a problem with writing, I never know how it comes out, even if it's just a short review, I have to start from scratch. I have no talent.
But for a writer, isn't this a fatal realization?
Language and imagination are the same thing. Behind each word is a hidden world, a world constructed by imagination. In fact, each word carries a burden of memory, not only for an individual, but for all of humanity. For example, the word "bread" or "war", or "Jane" "bed" or "paradise", behind each word is a whole world.
Burke: Language is more solid than music and painting, but it is also inaccurate. However, a word often has multiple meanings, not only in one language, but also beyond language, so it becomes very important to trace the origins of words and language. This is the eternal struggle of literature, the absolute meaning exists somewhere, we just haven't found it yet.